The present invention relates to a container for premoistened wipes. The invention particularly concerns container lids and container bases that secure to each other more easily. The engagement between the container lid and the container base is facilitated by structural guides that better position the lid on top of the base and by an improved closure. The invention also concerns an improvement in the tear resistance of the container lid and an improvement in the compression strength of the container.
Wet wipes are well known commercial consumer products which have been available in many forms. Perhaps the most common form of wet wipes has been a stack of moistened sheets which have been packaged in a plastic container, The wet wipes have been made from a variety of materials which have been moistened with a variety of suitable wiping solutions. Typically, the wet wipes have been stacked in the container in either a folded or unfolded configuration. For example, containers of wet wipes have been available wherein each of the wet wipes stacked in the container has been arranged in a folded configuration such as a c-folded, z-folded or quarter-folded configuration as are well known to those skilled in the art. Some of the folded wet wipes have also been interfolded with the wet wipes immediately above and below in the stack of wet wipes. In an alternative configuration, the wet wipes have been placed in the container in the form of a continuous web of material which includes perforations to separate the individual wet wipes and which is wound into a roll. Such wet wipes have been used for baby wipes, hand wipes, household cleaning wipes, industrial wipes and the like.
The conventional packages which contain wet wipes, such as those described above, have typically been designed to be positioned on a flat surface such as a countertop. Such conventional packages have generally provided a plastic container or tub which provides a sealed environment for the wet wipes to ensure that they do not become overly dry. Some of the conventional packages have also been configured to provide one at a time dispensing of each wet wipe which can be accomplished using a single hand after the package has been opened. Such single handed, one at a time dispensing is particularly desirable because the other hand of the user or care giver is typically required to be simultaneously used for other functions. For example, when changing a diaper product on an infant, the care giver typically uses one hand to hold and maintain the infant in a desired position while the other hand is attempting to dispense a baby wipe to clean the infant.
However, the opening of such conventional containers for wet wipes has not been completely satisfactory. For example, many conventional containers are not capable of being opened by a single hand or, if designed for opening by a single hand, are not easy to open with a single hand for all users. In such containers, the user typically has to open the package with both hands before dispensing a wet wipe. Many of such containers have been hard to open because they have included a cover which provides a positive frictional seal with the container body when closed to ensure that the wet wipes do not become overly dry. In addition, many conventional containers have included relatively small opening mechanisms which are difficult to manipulate with a single hand.
Another difficulty associated with conventional containers for wet wipes is that the lids of the containers typically must either be completely open or completely closed. Depending on the weight of the wet wipes remaining in the container, the container may tip backwards from the weight of an open lid. Therefore, conventional containers do not provide for a partially open position between the lid and the base of the container, Consequently, as the supply of wet wipes in the container is depleted, it becomes more difficult to obtain a wipe from the container using a single hand. In some conventional containers, there is poor alignment between the container lid and the container base. The poor alignment hinders the user""s ability to secure the lid to the base, particularly when the operation must be done with a single hand.
With some wet wipe uses, such as with wet wipes for diaper changes, the container holding the wipes is opened and closed with great frequency. Frequent opening and closing of the container lid causes wear and stress on the connection or attachment between the lid and the base. After a number of opening and closing cycles, the connection can begin to fail and, in some cases, will result in the container lid tearing away from the container base. The rough surface produced by a torn lid can catch on skin or on fabric, thus becoming a nuisance. In the past, the exterior contours of some conventional containers have had right angles with rough edges that can catch on skin or fabric. For example, right angles often exist at the connection point between container lids and container bases.
During shipping and storage of the containers, the containers are often stacked vertically on top of each other. The stacking can be done on a pallet or within a shipping/storage container. The vertical stacking of the containers on top of each other results in a substantial force acting on the top of the container. If the container does not have sufficient compressive strength, the lid or base can become deformed by outward bowing or buckling. Some conventional containers have not been designed to withstand the magnitude of force experienced during routine shipping and storage.
In response to the difficulties and problems discussed above, a new container for wet wipes that has improved opening and dispensing, is capable of maintaining a partially open position, has improved alignment between lid and base, has improved tear resistance and has improved compression strength has been discovered. The purposes and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in and apparent from the description that follows, as well as will be learned by practice of the invention. Additional advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the containers particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof, as well as from the appended drawings.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a wet wipe container that includes a container base and a container lid. The container lid is connected to the container base. The container lid and the container base can be a single component or can be separate components. The connection between the container lid and the container base can be in the form of an ultrasonic bond, an interlocking hinge or other form of connection known in the art. The container lid has a top and a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls. The walls extend downwardly from the top of the container lid in a generally rectangular configuration. The walls can also extend downward in a generally trapezoidal configuration. The container base has a bottom and a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of opposed side walls. The walls extend upwardly from the bottom of the container base in a generally rectangular configuration to provide an interior for containing the wet wipes. The walls can also extend upward in a generally trapezoidal configuration.
The top of the container lid has a downwardly extending guide ridge. The rear wall of the container lid defines a length that is approximately the same as the overall length of the container. The guide ridge is generally parallel to the rear wall of the container lid and the guide ridge is located close to or proximate the rear wall. The guide ridge has a length that is less than the length of the rear wall. For example, the ratio of the length of the guide ridge to the length of the rear wall, which generally represents the length of the container, can be desirably, but not exclusively, from about 40% to about 90%. Further, the guide ridge can extend downward a distance of from about 0.25 inches to about 0.75 inches. The guide ridge can also have a thickness that is from about 0.0625 inches to about 0.25 inches. The rear wall of the container base has an upper portion that defines a receiving edge. The receiving edge is generally configured to receive the guide ridge of the container lid. For example, the receiving edge can be arc-shaped. The receiving edge gradually receives the guide ridge as the container lid is rotated from an open position to a closed position. Among other things, the guide ridge facilitates single hand opening and closing of the container. Further, the guide ridge improves the alignment between the container lid and the container base. The guide ridge also permits a partially open position of the container lid. The container is stable and does not tip over when the container lid is partially open, even if there are only a few wet wipes remaining in the container. In the partially open position, the container lid is from about 1.5 inches to 3.0 inches above the container base. The partially open position allows a person to reach into the container to pick up a wet wipe with only one hand.
The container lid can be fabricated from a polymer, copolymer or mixtures of both. For example, the container lid can be made primarily of a copolymer of styrene-butadiene-styrene. The container lid can be transparent or translucent to, in part, facilitate determination of the quantity of wipes remaining in the container. The container base can likewise be fabricated from a polymer, copolymer or mixtures of both. For example, the container base can be primarily made of polystyrene. The container base can be made of either an opaque, translucent or transparent material. Dyes, tints and colorants can be added to the material of either the container lid or the container base. The wet wipe containers of the invention can be beneficially used for secondary purposes when they are no longer used to contain wet wipes. For example, the containers can be used to store small toys, art supplies and other household items. When the container lid and container base are translucent or transparent, it is possible to see what is inside of the container without opening the lid.
The corners that are formed at the intersections of the various walls of the container lid and the container base can be rounded. More particularly, the corners between the front walls, the rear walls, the side walls, the top and the bottom can be curvilinear. The container lid and the container base can be joined together at their respective rear walls. The container lid and the container base can be joined or connected by the variety of ways known in the art including by ultrasonic bonds.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a wet wipe container including a container base and a separate container lid that is attached to the container base. The container lid can be attached to the container base in a variety of ways including by a hinge arrangement, by pins, by interlocking edges, by ultrasonic bonding and other ways of attachment known in the art. The container lid has a top and a front wall, rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls. The walls extend downwardly from the top in a generally rectangular configuration.
The rear wall of the container lid includes an outwardly extending flange. The outwardly extending flange can be primarily two-dimensional and, therefore, the flange has a width and a length. The flange can be thought of as being divided into three areas: the area immediately adjacent the rear wall of the container lid, a hinge channel and an attachment area. The attachment area is located most distally to the rear wall of the container lid and the hinge channel is located between the immediately adjacent area and the attachment area. The three areas are primarily linear and they are configured to be generally parallel to each other and to the rear wall of the container lid. Each of the areas has an independent length that is no greater than the length of the rear wall of the container lid. Starting from the area near the rear wall, the length of the flange can gradually taper along the width of the flange. In this case, the length of the flange near the rear wall would be greater than the length of the flange at the attachment area. The length of the hinge channel would be between the lengths of the area near the rear wall and of the attachment area. For example, the ratio of the length of the flange at the hinge channel to the total length of the container lid can be from about 60% to about 85% and the ratio of the length of the flange at the attachment area to the total length of the container lid can be from about 50% to about 75%.
The hinge channel has two end regions, each end region being located at an end of the hinge channel. The hinge channel has a primary thickness and the end regions of the hinge channel have a secondary thickness that is greater than the primary thickness. The primary thickness of the hinge channel can be from about 0.005 inches to about 0.015 inches. The secondary thickness of the end regions can desirably be from about 20% to about 100% greater than the primary thickness.
In addition to the thickness of the hinge channel, there is an overall thickness to the outwardly extending flange. The thickness of the flange can vary over the width of the flange. For example, the flange thickness includes the thickness near the rear wall, the secondary thickness of the end region of the hinge channel and the thickness of the attachment area. If the thickness of the flange near the rear wall of the container lid and of the attachment area are greater than the secondary thickness, the thickness of the flange can gradually decrease along the width until the thickness matches the secondary thickness. Conversely, if the thickness of the flange near the rear wall and of the attachment area are less than the secondary thickness, the thickness of the flange can gradually increase along the width until the thickness matches the secondary thickness. The outwardly extending flange has two ends that are generally defined by the width of the flange. These ends can have a curvilinear shape that forms an angle of less than ninety degrees away from the rear wall of the container lid. The gradual curve to the ends of the flange can prevent skin and fabric from catching on the flange.
The wet wipe container also includes a container base that includes a bottom and a front wall, rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls. The walls extend upward from the bottom of the container base in a generally rectangular configuration that provides an interior for containing the wet wipes. The walls can also extend upward in a generally trapezoidal configuration. The rear wall of the container base can have a top portion that includes an outwardly extending lip. The container lid can be attached to the container base by attaching the attachment area of the container lid to the outwardly extending lip of the rear wall of the container base. The container lid and the container base can be attached to each other by various methods known in the art including an interlocking hinge, by pins and by ultrasonic bonding.
The container lid and the container base can be either transparent or translucent to provide an indication of the quantity of wet wipes remaining in the container. The container lid and the container base can be made of various polymers, copolymers, and mixtures including polystyrene and mixtures including polystyrene. The various corners formed by the front walls, rear walls, side walls, the top and the bottom of the container lid and the container base can be curvilinear.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a wet wipe container that includes a container base, a container lid and a closure. The container lid is connected to the container base and either the container lid itself can include a hinge or a hinge can be formed between the container lid and the container base. As an example of the connection between lid and base, the container lid and the container base can be ultrasonically bonded together. The closure is configured to releasably hold the container lid on the container base in a closed position.
The closure includes an upright tongue projection that is continuous with and extends upward from a top surface of a front wall of the container base. The upright tongue projection can have curved edges and a flattened grip area that is generally in the center of the tongue projection. The top surface of the front wall of the container base can have an arcuate depression below the grip area of the tongue projection. The closure also includes an assistive region that is below the arcuate depression and is generally concentric with the tongue projection. The closure also includes an aperture that is located in a convex portion of a front wall of the container lid. When the container is closed, the tongue projection extends upward through the aperture. In another embodiment, the tongue projection extends downward from the container lid and the aperture is located within a convex portion of the container base.
The container lids of containers having such closures can further include a top and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls that extend downwardly from the top in a generally rectangular configuration. The container bases of containers having such closures can further include a bottom and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls that extend upwardly from the bottom in a generally rectangular configuration to provide an interior for containing the wet wipes. The container base can also have a generally trapezoidal configuration.
As with the other containers of the invention, the container lid and the container base can be transparent or translucent to provide an indication of the quantity of wet wipes remaining in the container. The container lid and the container base can be made of various polymers, copolymers, and mixtures including polystyrene and mixtures including polystyrene. The various corners formed by the front walls, rear walls, side walls, the top and the bottom of the container lid and the container base can be curvilinear.
In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a wet wipe container that includes a container base and a container lid that is connected to the container base. The container base includes a bottom and a front wall, rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls. The walls extend upwardly from the bottom in a generally rectangular configuration to provide an interior for containing the wet wipes. The walls can include one or more generally linear ribs that are formed into the walls. The ribs can be vertical or horizontal. The ribs can extend along the entire length or width of the wall(s) or the ribs can extend only along a portion of the length or width of the wall(s). The ribs provide the container with improved compression strength to resist the crushing or buckling that may occur during shipping and storage. The ribs also provide a more aesthetic appearance to the container.
Thus, the present invention, in its various aspects, advantageously relates to a container for wet wipes that, when compared to conventional containers of wet wipes, provides convenient single handed access to the wet wipes. In particular, the present invention provides an aesthetically pleasing container for wet wipes that has an easy-to-use and ergonomic closure. The improved closure provides reliable single handed opening and dispensing for improved consumer acceptance. The containers are particularly desirable for baby wipes intended for use in the typical diaper changing routine in which usually only one of the hands of the care-giver is available for retrieval of a wet wipe. Further, the container of the invention is stable in a partially open position regardless of the quantity of wet wipes in the container. Being able to maintain a partially open position of the lid prevents the weight of the container lid from tipping the container backwards when only a small quantity of wet wipes remain in the container. The container also provides improved alignment between the container lid and the container base, thereby further assisting single hand operation. Advantageously, the container of the invention has a lid that is more tear resistant under repeated use than conventional lids and a curved edge contour that prevents skin or fabric from catching on an edge of the container. Additionally, the container of the invention provides better compression strength and, therefore, improved resistance to crushing and buckling.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, are included to illustrate and provide a further understanding of the containers of the invention. Together with the description, the drawings serve to explain the various aspects of the invention.